Withered Blossoms
by Lunar Xerneas
Summary: Kirby isn't sure if he deserves to be considered a hero after a tragedy strikes Pupu Village. Perhaps his actions when he finds a sickly young girl will change his way of thinking... short one-shot prequel for Wings of the Falling.


**Author's Note: I would like to apologize for that note I posted last week about me cancelling WotF. I was not in the right state of mind, and didn't think of my decision clearly enough. The story will continue, and I hope to have the update posted soon.**

 **Anyway, this is a short one-shot about a character that is due to be introduced, a Cappy named Lily. She will have a minor, albeit important role in WotF, and I thought a small one-shot introducing her was a good idea. This takes place a few months before the events of the main story, so Kirby does not have his wings yet.**

 **Anyway, I hope you guys like this small story!**

* * *

It was days like these, Kirby wondered why he was one to be admired, to be considered a hero. Cloudy, dreary; it was as though the world itself was mourning with Kirby over the blood that had been spilt.

Kirby hadn't meant for it to happen; no, in fact he tried to stop it! He ran as fast as his feet could go, but it wasn't enough. Some giant wild animal, in a starved rage, assaulted the peaceful Pupu Village in a frantic search for food. As old as he was, the village's mailman, Moso, wasn't able to get away in time. Kirby tried to shield the elder from the attack, but it was too late by the time he tried to come to his rescue.

It was such a tragedy, the whole town was still in shock over the incident. Moso was a very wise man; to see him fall was an awful sight to the residents of Pupu Village.

It was especially gruesome for Kirby.

Even though he was growing up - Fumu had told him he was going to be turning thirteen in Cappy years soon - Kirby found it extremely difficult to deal with making mistakes, something that couldn't really be helped by those as young as him. To see that poor old man die in front of him, it was horrifying. Oh, how Kirby wished he could have run a little faster, that he was a little stronger…

It was pitiful.

The young pink puff sighed, probably for the hundredth time that day, his deep azure eyes trailing to the dirt around his feet. He felt guilty; very much so, why hadn't he been able to save Moso? The poor old man didn't deserve that kind of death, to he mauled by some wild animal… and he could have been saved too, if Kirby had been fast enough.

"Don't blame yourself for Moso's death," Meta Knight had told him earlier that tragic day. "Sometimes, not everyone can be saved. It is the way of life."

Well, Kirby _hated_ life at the moment.

 _Everyone_ deserved a chance to be saved! It shouldn't be like some twisted game; where only the strong win, leaving the old and weak to fend for themselves! It just wasn't right!

As Kirby angrily moped, he kicked a stray stone that was on the road, watching it clatter a few feet in front of him. He didn't understand, why did people still consider him a hero after what happened? Sure he ended up chasing that animal away from town before it could bring harm to anyone else, but he wasn't able to save everyone from harm! He was Kirby, Kirby of the Stars! He was _supposed_ to save everyone, wasn't he…? Wasn't that his purpose, after all…?

It was then when Kirby heard something; or rather someone, a little ways off the main road of Pupu Village. It was getting ready to rain, so all the villagers were making their way indoors to shield themselves from the impending storm. Except for one.

It was a very young Cappy girl; perhaps not a day past four years old, and she was giggling softly while playing with a little frog in the grass near one of the many blossoming cherry trees. The young girl looked like she had a pale blue flower in her hair, which was neatly braided and resting over her left shoulder. It was already starting to sprinkle little droplets of rain, which was perhaps why the frog was out and about, hopping away from the small child's small hands trying to grab it.

Despite his rather depressive mood, Kirby couldn't help but smile. Oh, how he longed to have that child-like innocence back, having not a care in the world and chasing even the slightest distraction…

However, the smile on Kirby's face quickly faded when the young girl suddenly stopped giggling and stood there silently for just a few moments before staggering and crumpling to the ground with a soft thump.

Alarmed, Kirby quickly made his way over to the young girl's side. "Hey… are you alright?" He asked softly, silently taking notice of the rain beginning to fall heavier. He gently rolled the young girl over onto her back, and he frowned deeply when he noticed her face was heavily flushed with what he assumed was a fever. "U-um…" Kirby wasn't sure what to do. He couldn't remember if he had ever met this girl before, so he didn't know where she lived or who her parents were!

Shielding her to the best of his ability from the rain, Kirby lifted the young girl in his arms. Luckily she wasn't too heavy to lift, though it was rather difficult to walk her over to the village, since she was over half his own size. He stopped once he was partially underneath a roof of one of the many buildings in Pupu Village, making sure the young girl was shielded from the cold rain before trying to wake her again.

"Hey, wake up…" He murmured, shaking the girl gently in an attempt to wake her up. Her breathing was heavy and raspy, the braid in her hair now messy from her earlier collapse. "Come on…" Kirby was beginning to panic; he didn't know how to treat a sick person, let alone a child! What was he supposed to-

"Lily?! Lily, where are you?!" A desperate call came from the other side of the village.

Lily… could it be this young girl that was being searched for? Kirby looked around for the source of the call, seeing a young cappy woman a little ways away, looking around desperately. It was raining harder now, the cold drops starting to assault Kirby's torso despite the subpar shelter he was in.

"U-uh, excuse me, ma'am!" Kirby called for the woman, who immediately looked at him. "I think this is Lily, over here!"

Immediately the woman ran across the soaking streets and over to him, gasping when she saw the sickly young girl in Kirby's arms. "Oh, thank the stars you found her, Kirby! Is she okay?"

"Well, I think she's sick… I tried to shelter her from the rain, but…"

The Cappy woman gently picked up the child, whom Kirby now knew was Lily, giving him a relieved look. "I'm so glad you found my Lily! She ran off and we couldn't find her before the storm started! We must hurry inside, it's freezing!"

Kirby blinked before hurriedly following the woman into her home, shivering slightly from the cold rain. "Is Lily going to be okay?" He dared to ask as the woman put Lily on the couch in front of a roaring fire.

"Yes, I sure hope so…" The woman hurriedly walked into another room, coming back with a pale blue blanket and draping it over Lily. "She ran off before the storm started, the adventurous little thing! I thought some fresh air would do her good... I was so worried, I'm glad you found her, Kirby. You have my deepest gratitude!"

Kirby looked away and nodded. "It was the least I could do, ma'am." He slowly lifted his gaze back to the woman in front of him. He recognized her, he had seen her at the market a few times before. "I don't think I ever got your name."

"Oh, where are my manners? My name is Jasmine." She smiled faintly before kneeling down in front of her daughter, who stirred gently. "Lily, dearest, are you okay?"

The young cappy girl opened her eyes halfway to look at her mother. "...Mum…"

"You're ill again, sweetie. I told you not to run off like that…"

"...Sorry…"

"It's okay, honey. Kirby helped you get back home. Do you want to say hi?"

Lily's gaze shifted over to Kirby, a faint smile appearing on her face. "Hi…"

"Hi, Lily," Kirby smiled back, making sure not to get too close, as he didn't want to block the heat from the fire. "You should listen to your mom, she was very worried about you."

Lily looked away sadly. "I know…" She looked back up at Kirby, a small twinkle in her eye. "You saved me…?"

"W-well, I wouldn't call it saving, but-"

"Of course you saved her! Who knows how long it could have taken me to find her!" Jasmine patted Kirby's back, making him tense slightly. "You're her hero, Kirby!"

"Hero?" Both Kirby and Lily asked at the same time. The two looked at one another, Kirby in embarrassment, and Lily in awe.

"You… you my hero, Kuh… kuh…"

"Kirby."

"Kuh… bee…?"

"Yup!" Kirby couldn't help but smile at the young girl. He too, had trouble speaking some words, even though he was obviously better than Lily, here. It was admirable to see her efforts, to say the least.

Lily grinned, shakily sitting up with a weak grunt. "You my hero, Kuhby!" Despite her exhausted, flushed face, she looked incredibly happy.

A warm feeling spread across Kirby's chest at those words. Seeing this young, sickly girl happy made all of his stress from earlier wash away. A hero…

Maybe he was a hero, after all.


End file.
